


Remember Me For Who I Am

by Yadirocks



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 20:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3909913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yadirocks/pseuds/Yadirocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are physical battles, and then there are emotional battles. Strong people can win both, but sometimes, it takes a little help from your friends to win the war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remember Me For Who I Am

**Author's Note:**

> This was a little one shot story I wrote a few months ago. I probably don't have any of the details about brain cancer right, but it was the only way to make the story any good. I do not wish this to happen, trust me. Hope you enjoy this story, and hopefully, it doesn't make you cry as much as it made me cry.

Yadier sat in the locker room, putting away his things. Normally, on a day like today, he would be hurrying, trying to get ready so he could go home and enjoy the rest of the offday. Today was different.

Mike Matheny had warned him about the emotional states of his teammates. It was understandable. The loss of a friend and a teammate isn't something to take lightly, he knew. Yadier was upset also, about the passing of the youngster, Oscar Taveras. Though he was upset, he knew he had to stay strong.

Just when he was about to stand to leave, he noticed Carlos Martinez staring at where Oscar's locker used to be. It had been right across from Martinez's. They had been great friends, practically brothers.

Yadier dropped his bags and put a hand on Carlos' shoulder. The pitcher dropped his gaze, focusing on his glove that laid in his hands. 

Yadier sat down next to the young closer, winding an arm around Carlos' back. "You feeling alright?"

Carlos nodded, but Yadier could see through his facade. "Yeah, just thinking about my pitching."

Yadier nodded. "Okay."

He patted him on the back, and then whispered in his ear, "If you need to talk, meet me outside."

Carlos sat there, slumped over on his bench, still staring at the glove. Yadier gave him one last comforting pat on the back before getting up, grabbing his things, and going to Mike's office. 

He rapped on the door with his knuckles. Mike looked up from his paperwork when he saw Yadier. "Hey, Yadi. Come to get your journal?"

Yadier nodded, taking the black notebook when Mike handed it to him. Yadier glanced back into the hallway before asking, "Has Carlos talked to you about...you know..."

Mike sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want to force him, but at the same time, I feel like he's being too hard on himself for this situation."

Yadier nodded. "I can try to talk to him. Maybe he'll open up to me."

Yadier was walking down the hallway to the exit when he heard someone shout, "Wait!"

Yadier turned and saw Carlos sitting on a bench. He hadn't noticed the young man before, as he'd been too deep in thought of how to approach the subject to notice his surroundings. 

"I waited for you," Carlos said, casting his eyes to the ground. Yadier smiled, setting his bags on the floor and taking a seat beside the young pitcher. 

Yadier saw that Carlos was playing with a baseball, rubbing his thumb along the seams. Yadier looked down at the baseball for a moment before saying, "You know that we're a family, don't you?"

Yadier could see the lump in Carlos' throat as he nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Yadier sat back, putting a comforting hand on Carlos' shoulder and making the pitcher glance at him. "You don't have to be afraid to tell me anything, Carlos. You don't have to be afraid to tell any of us anything. No matter what, we'll always love you, Carlos."

Carlos closed his eyes to hide the tears in them. Yadier put his arm around Carlos' shoulders. "We're all in this together, okay? Don't feel for one second that any of this was your fault. Don't feel for a moment that you're all alone."

Carlos sniffed. "He was my best friend. I should've stopped him, I should've told him no, I...I..."

Yadier pulled him into a hug when he saw Carlos was having a hard time holding his tears in. "You can cry if you want to. I understand."

Just like that, Carlos broke down in Yadier's arms, spilling everything out to Yadier about the way he felt and about how much he missed his best friend.

When he had finished his breakdown, he just laid in Yadier's arms, emotionally exhausted. Yadier patted his back to sooth him. "I promise you that we will all get through this together. As a team. As a family."

The next day, Yadier was walking past the locker room when he heard what sounded like someone sobbing. The sound was muffled, but it was there, and Yadier investigated.

He finally found the source when he came to a janitors closet near the bathrooms. He knew who was inside immediately. "Mikey, I know you're in there. Can you let me in?"

The door wasn't locked, but Yadier didn't want to invade Michael's privacy if he wanted to be alone. He was relieved when the door knob slowly turned to reveal Michael Wacha sitting beside the door. He was holding a picture of himself and Oscar when they had first met. Tears were falling down his cheeks, and he looked like a wreck.

Yadier sat on the other side of him, closing the door behind him. "I think you need a hug."

Michael nodded, and Yadier pulled him into an embrace, running a hand over Michael's back. "It's going to be okay, Mikey. We'll figure this out. We need to be strong. For him."

Michael sniffed. "I'm tired of trying to be strong, Yadi. How do you do it?"

Yadier pulled away, putting his hands on Michael's shoulders and giving him a small smile. "I remember the good things, and I choose to believe that I will see Oscar again when it truly matters."

Michael gave him a weak smile. Yadier squeezed his arm. "If there's ever anything you need to get off your chest or if you just need a shoulder to cry on, I want you to know that my door will always be open."

Michael smiled, a real smile this time. "Thank you, Yadi."

Yadier returned the smile, glancing down at the photo. "You know, you should frame that. It's a good picture."

Michael laughed. "You think?"

Yadier grinned, and nodded. "Now, come on. Let's get out of this dank space and into the sun."

A few days later, everyone was in the locker room after a crushing loss at home. Yadier was fiddling with his glove, his eyes somehow landing on the golden stitching. Pai #4.

He looked up when he heard two of his teammates bickering. It was Kolten Wong and Matt Adams, both getting into a heated argument. Yadier ignored it at first, letting boys be boys. Then they started screaming at each other. No one else moved, so Yadier stood, walking calmly over to the two who were in each other's faces. 

"You didn't know him like I did! Don't you dare try to tell me you know my pain!"

"He was my teammate, too! Not just yours!"

"He wasn't just my teammate, he was my family!"

Yadier broke the two apart before things could turn ugly. "What are you two fighting about?"

Kolten huffed, clearly miffed. "Adams over here is trying to tell me that he can relate to my pain over..."

He stopped, his face falling as he thought of Oscar. The room went silent. Yadier sighed, closing his eyes. He was tired, and he had a headache, but he had to resolve this nevertheless. 

"Okay. We need to have a team discussion. Everyone in here?"

He got no answer in response, so he continued. "We shouldn't be fighting over who loved Oscar the most. You know that he wouldn't want that. All of you know that."

Everyone gave solemn nods in response. "If anything, we should be there for each other, and try to make ends meet so that we can win this thing in honor of our teammate. Yes, his death was...it was a big blow. And I know you guys are very, very upset over it. But we need to let this whole situation bring us together more as a family than let it turn us against each other."

Adam Wainwright spoke up. "Yadi's right. We need to be a family, at all costs. We need to be there for each other, more now than ever."

Yadier smiled when everyone nodded in agreement. "If anyone ever wants to talk about it, you can always come to me. I promise you that."

Everyone cleared out, except Yadier, who was still packing his catcher's gear. He didn't notice the new presence into the room until a tap on his shoulder made him jump. Mike Matheny laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Yadier smiled. "It's fine. What do you need, Mike?"

Mike leaned against the lockers. "I wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you."

Yadier looked up at him, stopping mid-grab for his shin guards. "Proud of me? What did I do?"

Mike sighed, sitting down on the bench. "You told those boys what they needed to be told. I heard about your speech in the locker room today. Apparently, you got everyone pumped up to win the World Series for Oscar."

Yadier blushed. "Oh, that. That was nothing, Mike."

Yadier was about to return to his packing when Mike put a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't nothing, Yadier. Thank you for bringing them together and giving them something to be hopeful for."

Yadier gave him a smile. "They're my family. I have to be the mediator."

Mike smiled. Yadier moved to return to packing his things, but he turned his head too fast, making his head pound with pain, and he unwillingly revealed a wince.

In no time, Mike had sat Yadier on the bench and was assessing him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need me to get a trainer?"

Yadier almost shook his head, but caught himself. "No, I don't. It's just a headache, Mike. It's been a long week."

Mike looked uncertain. "Go rest up. If you still have a headache in the morning, I want you to call me or Billy, the lead trainer, immediately. I don't want to take any chances."

Yadier agreed to do this, and he drove to his home. As soon as he stepped inside the house, his head jolted with pain, and he barely managed to make it to his bedroom and tumble onto the mattress before he slipped into a deep sleep.

Yadier stumbled into Mike's office the next day. Mike looked up briefly, returning his eyes to his papers. He then did a double take to make sure he had actually seen Yadier's condition, and he gasped. "Yadier, you look completely awful!"

Yadier mumbled, "Thanks for noticing."

Mike stood, walking over to him and leading him to a chair. "Did you sleep last night?"

Yadier whispered, "Not very well."

Mike nodded, putting a hand on Yadier's arm. "Is it your head?"

Yadier took a deep breath, giving Mike his answer. "You stay here and rest. I'm going to go get Billy."

Mike's concern grew when Yadier didn't object. When he passed the locker room, Mike grabbed Matt Holliday. "We may need your help. We might have to take Yadier to the hospital, and I don't think Billy and I can get him to the car without Yadier falling on his face."

Matt nodded, following the manager to go get Billy.

When they returned to Yadier, he hadn't moved an inch. Billy knelt beside him, feeling Yadier's forehead, relieved that he didn't have a fever. "Yadi? Can you hear me, buddy?"

Yadier whispered, "Yeah."

Billy patted his arm. "We're going to take you to the hospital, okay?"

Yadier didn't answer, but Billy took it as a yes. He was about to grab Yadier's arm when Matt shook his head. "I've got this. Mike, call the hospital and tell them we're coming."

Matt picked Yadier up without much effort. He carried the catcher to the car and laid him gently into the backseat. "I'll stay back here with him. Make sure he doesn't go flying."

The next day, Yadier slowly stirred, his senses fuzzy and his head still pounding slightly. He didn't remember what had happened.

He opened his eyes to discover that he was in a hospital room. He blinked the blurriness from his vision, glad to find that he was alone. No one he knew could see him.

He wanted so desperately to get up, but his head protested at the small attempt to do so. Finally, he resorted to just laying his head back, trying to relax.

He opened his eyes to reveal that it was night time. He frowned. Had he accidentally fallen asleep?

This time, when he looked around, Billy was in the corner of the room, looking at some papers. There was a crinkle in his forehead, as if his mind were troubled. He looked exhausted.

Billy sighed, placing the papers on the chair beside him, rubbing his face tiredly. Yadier closed his eyes when Billy moved to stand. He heard Billy walk towards his bed and then heard him whisper, "Yadier, don't try to fool me. I know you're awake."

Sheepishly, Yadier opened his eyes. Billy was seated in a chair next to him, his eyes sad as he looked into Yadier's. The catcher felt his breath catch in his throat. "What's wrong, Billy?"

Billy took a shaky breath, putting his hand over Yadier's. "That headache wasn't a headache, Yadier. It was a brain tumor."

Yadier felt his body go numb. He closed his eyes, trying not to let the tears that filled them show. A strong, comforting hand was on his shoulder. "I promise you that we will do anything it takes to get the tumor out."

Yadier nodded, and suddenly felt so tired again. He realized how weak he was in that moment, and also realized that it was cold.

He told Billy about this, and the doctor pulled the covers up in sympathy. "How long do I have, Billy?" he whispered. 

Silence. Then, "About six months."

Yadier opened his eyes. "Don't tell the boys. I don't want them to know."

Billy nodded. "Okay. I won't. I understand."

Yadier closed his eyes again. Billy squeezed his hand. "Mike is very worried. I had to make him go home because he wouldn't leave your side. He was becoming a zombie, sitting here in this chair."

Yadier felt himself dropping slowly into sleep. The last thing he heard was Billy whispering, "This is a fight that you have to win, Yadi. If anyone can do it, I know it's you."

"It isn't a good idea, Yadi. I strongly disagree with it."

Yadier huffed, crossing his arms. Mike rolled his eyes at the stubbornness of his catcher. "Yadier, you need as much treatment as possible. If we don't treat this as much as we can...I don't even want to think about what would happen."

Yadier sighed. "Mikey, the doctor said that chemo is the only chance of me getting this tumor out. Why can't I do the chemo treatment and play baseball?"

Mike ran his hand through his hair. "It isn't that simple, Yadier. Chemo is very, very hard on someone's body. It weakens you, but it also gives you more time. I'd prefer you to stay somewhere where you can get the rest you need and the treatment you need during chemo."

Yadier kept his arms crossed. "Mike, what good is it going to do me if I'm not playing baseball? Maybe baseball is what I need to recuperate. It sure isn't going to make me feel any better letting all those boys down after I promised them they could count on me to be strong."

Mike was silent, so Yadier said, "I've made up my mind, Mike. I'm going to do chemo while playing baseball. And I'm not going to say a word to the boys about it. And neither are you."

Mike rubbed his face tiredly. "You're going to be the death of me, Yadier."

Yadier smiled in satisfaction. 

Chemo was as rough as Mike said it would be. Mike kept his promise of not telling his teammates, but he kept a close eye on Yadier. 

When his hair started to fall out, he felt his heart sink as he simply put his ball cap over it. He had to make sure none of the boys ever saw him without his hair.

Finally, after chemo had diminished somewhat, Yadier was able to forget a little. It wasn't until Adam Wainwright caught his arm in the hallway on their way to the dugout that he was reminded again of his issue. 

"You've been acting strange lately," Adam said, examining Yadier with those sharp eyes. Yadier tried his best to dish a quick smile. "What do you mean?"

Wainwright crossed his arms. "Yadier, I know you better than you know yourself. When you aren't yourself, I can tell, trust me. Might as well spill it. What's wrong?"

Yadier felt tears filling his eyes. He looked away, and said in a low voice, "Not here. Over there."

He pointed towards the janitors closet. Adam frowned, but followed Yadier. Once they were in the closet and Yadier had turned on the light, Adam asked, "So now will you tell me what's bothering you?"

Yadier took a deep breath. "I...I didn't tell you because I didn't want to scare you. You have to promise me you won't tell anyone, not even the boys."

"Yadi, you're being-"

"Promise me, Adam!" Yadier said, tears in his eyes. Adam nodded. "Okay. I promise. I just want to know why you're hurting."

Yadier took a shaky breath. "I'm not just hurting, Adam."

He took off his hat to reveal his scalp. "I'm dying."

Yadier waited for the reaction. He waited for Adam to scream or make an appalled face. He lowered his head in shame, bracing himself.

He wasn't able to brace himself for what happened.

"You're an idiot."

It was said as arms pulled him into a hug. "But you're an even bigger one if you think I'm disgusted by you."

Yadier tried so hard not to cry, though he did have to swallow a large lump in his throat. Adam whispered, "You're like a brother to me, Yadier."

A week later, they made him go through a second session of chemo. This one involved a lot more throwing up and bigger migraines. Mike let him rest in his back office when his migraines became too strong, turning off the lights and letting Yadier sleep in the pitch black.

Adam would sit by his side sometimes during these painful moments, when he was afraid and vulnerable. Adam never pushed him to talk about any of it. He would merely drape an arm around Yadier's shoulders and push his head to lay against his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay," he would whisper into Yadier's ear, right when those were the words he was yearning to hear.

One day, Mike was rubbing circles into Yadier's back as he sat on the bench, his head resting on Mike's shoulder. "How bad is it on a scale of 1 to 10?"

Yadier took a shaky breath. "Seven and a half."

Mike sighed, and asked, "Do you want to go lay down for a while?"

Yadier whispered, "No. I'll be fine."

Mike nodded, just letting his catcher rest his head. "I'm worried about you. You know that, right?"

Yadier was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he said finally. 

Mike patted his back again. "We'll figure it out, though. I promise."

Yadier winced, standing as they were called back onto the field. "Be careful!" Mike called to him as Yadier grabbed his helmet.

Yadier examined the hitter, putting down his signs. He closed his eyes, praying that the pain would diminish.

Wacha threw the ball, and the batter swung. The foul tip came back and hit Yadier in the helmet. Searing pain made its way through his head as he fell back, and he blacked out.

When he woke up, he was in a dark room.

He groaned, turning his head to the side. Every part of his body ached, and he felt like his head had been split open by a mallet.

He tried to sit up, but a gentle hand on his chest pushed him to lay back. "Be still," a voice whispered in his ear. "Don't move."

Yadier obeyed the voice as his head throbbed painfully. Something trickled in the background, and a wet cloth was placed on his forehead. "What happened?" he asked, struggling to remember.

"You got hit by a foul tip in the helmet and passed out. Mike brought you in here. He's worried sick about you, Yadier. He thought you were dead."

Yadier took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry."

A hand was on his arm, a strong, comforting one. "Don't be. None of this is your fault."

Yadier opened his eyes to look up at Billy, who was looking down at the ground. Yadier took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know this is hard on you too, Billy. It's going to be hard on everyone, not just me."

Billy nodded, closing his eyes. "I don't like to see you hurt. Now you're...and I can't do anything to stop it...."

Billy shook his head physically, trying to rid the thought from his mind. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get that tumor to shrink. I promise you that."

Yadier closed his eyes. "Okay, Billy. I know you will."

Little did Yadier know, after he fell asleep, Billy hung his head and cried, looking down at a new picture of Yadier's tumor. It had grown two sizes.

When the third round of chemo came, Yadier only had a month to live. He tried to make himself look like normal, but it wasn't long before everyone knew something was up with their catcher. Only Adam knew everything, and he would give Yadier a bigger hug than anyone else in the handshake line. Yadier knew that he only did it because one day soon, he wouldn't be able to hug Yadier anymore.

Mike stopped Yadier on his way to the locker room. "Yadi, since this last session of chemo is going to last for a month, I think you should stay at the hospital this time. Just so we can keep an eye on the tumor, and so you can save every ounce of your strength."

Yadier nodded, not arguing with Mike. "I...I need to tell them, don't I?"

Mike squeezed Yadier's shoulder. "If you don't want to, I will."

Yadier shook his head. "They're my family. I should be the one to do it."

Yadier told Adam, who pulled him into a hug. "I'll be there every day to check on you. That's a promise," he whispered into Yadier's ear. Yadier smiled. "Thank you for everything, Adam. You're my best friend."

Adam pulled away. "If you want, I'll stand up with you when you tell them, that way you won't feel so alone."

Yadier gave him a thankful smile.

When everyone was in the locker room, Yadier stood, as did Adam. They walked to the center of the room, and Adam yelled, "Quiet!"

Everyone looked to them, the room going silent. Yadier suddenly felt afraid. What would they think of him?

He took a deep breath. "There's something I've been needing to tell you guys. I didn't tell you before because...I didn't want to scare you. I didn't want you to treat me any different than you do every day."

He looked to Adam for reassurance. The pitcher put a hand on his shoulder, nodding for him to continue. 

"But it's come to a point where I can no longer keep this from you."

He took off his hat, and there were a few gasps when they saw his bald head. He didn't look up, afraid of the expressions of disgust he might see. "I have brain cancer. I have my last session of chemo tomorrow. If the tumor doesn't shrink enough for them to get it out within a month..."

He couldn't say it. He didn't want to believe it himself. He took a shaky breath. "I understand if you guys think I'm a monster, or if you're mad that I didn't tell you. I just wanted you to remember me in my good days."

His eyes stayed cast to the floor. The room was silent. Then, Carlos Martinez stood. He made his way to the center of the room, standing right in front of Yadier. Adam's hand on his shoulder tightened, as if for protection. 

Carlos tilted his chin up. "Don't hang your head, Yadi. We're a family."

Carlos smiled at him. "We're in this together. Okay?"

Yadier felt tears fill his eyes, and when Carlos pulled him into a hug, he returned the embrace. Carlos whispered, "You can cry if you want to. No one's going to judge you."

That's when Yadier broke down, right there in Carlos Martinez's arms. Before long, everyone had joined in for one gigantic group hug.

Carlos started praying, and everyone bowed their heads, praying with him. Yadier's sobs were drowned out by the sound of Carlos' praying, and by the time he had finished, Yadier had calmed down somewhat.

Everyone hugged him, all looking like they were going to cry. Michael Wacha did start crying, and had to be led out of the room by Matt Holliday.

Yadier sniffed, smiling at them all. "I love you guys. No matter what, don't forget that."

Two weeks later, Adam and Mike were sitting at Yadier's bedside. The catcher was thin and weak, and he hardly ever woke up because he was so exhausted. 

Mike sighed, brushing his thumb over Yadier's hand. 

Billy suddenly came running in. "Mike, you have to see this."

Mike and Adam followed Billy to the video room. "What's this about? Is something wrong with the tumor?"

Billy shook his head, a big smile plastered on his face. He pulled up a picture of the tumor. "It shrunk, Mike. It shrunk!"

Adam caught Mike as he nearly fainted with relief. Both of them helped Mike to a chair. Billy knelt beside Mike. "He's going to live, Mike!"

A bunch of the Cardinals players were there, having heard the news. Yadier had a bandana tied around his head to hide his baldness. 

The catcher was resting, but that didn't stop the players from coming in and leaving him gifts. 

Michael Wacha set down a fozzy bear next to Yadier's arm. "Wake up soon so you can come play baseball again, Yadi," he said, kissing Yadier's forehead in a brotherly way. 

The last to come in was Carlos Martinez. Mike nudged Adam's arm and said, "Let's go get something to eat."

Adam nodded, taking the hint. Carlos sat down where Mike had been after they had left. 

He didn't say anything. He took Yadier's hand, looking into his face. He sighed, glancing down at Yadier's thin hand. 

"You did it, Yadi. You won," he said, smiling as he looked up. "Oscar would be proud of you, Yadi. Even when you were weak, you stayed strong for us. And now you've won the fight."

He squeezed Yadier's hand. "It's going to be alright now."

When Yadier woke up, he wasn't very aware. Mike patted his arm. "How do you feel, buddy?"

Yadier closed his eyes, the exhaustion clearly showing on his face. He couldn't keep his guard up. He was too weak.

Mike glanced at Billy. "What's wrong with him?"

Billy sighed, putting a hand on Yadier's face. "Yadi, buddy, do you remember where you are?"

Yadier opened his eyes, but he seemed to be looking straight through Billy. The trainer was worried. "It seems he isn't very aware of what's going on. We should just let him rest some more."

Mike looked at Billy. "Will he be alright?"

Billy inhaled, letting his breath out slowly. "Depends. If there wasn't any damage to his brain due to the cells, then yes. But it's hard to tell right off the bat. We'll give him some time to heal."

A week later, Yadier woke up again. He looked around the room, not recognizing where he was. He wracked his brain to try to remember, but it only hurt his head. He felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks, and his head had been the target. 

A face swarmed into his vision, and though it was blurry, he recognized the outline of Mike Matheny. A faraway voice said, "I think he's awake, Billy."

Another blurry figure came into his view. Someone took his hand. "Yadi, can you hear me?"

Yadier struggled to speak, but his throat was too dry. Billy seemed to recognize this, as he commanded Mike to get some water. 

Soon, Yadier was downing some water, and his vision cleared a bit. 

"Now how do you feel?" Billy asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Yadier tried his best to give Billy a smile. "Better than before."

Billy smiled at him. "The tumor shrunk a few weeks ago. You're going to be okay now."

Yadier closed his eyes, relief filling his senses. "Does Adam know?"

Billy pulled the blankets over him more. "Yeah, he knows."

Yadier kept his eyes closed, trying to deal with the pain in his head. "You won't be able to play baseball for a while, Yadi. We need you to get as much rest as possible so you can regain your strength. Starting now. Okay?"

Yadier nodded, opening his eyes. "Can I go to a few games soon? Just to be there?"

Billy glanced at Mike. Mike smiled. "I think we can manage that."

Yadier smiled, letting his body relax. A hand squeezed his. "You won your game, Yadi. Now you need to rest up for the next one."

Yadier nodded, dozing off. 

A few weeks later, Mike wheeled Yadier through the double doors and into the locker room. Yadier smiled at them all when they screamed, "Yadi's back!"

He couldn't count how many hugs he got, and he was pretty sure that Michael Wacha hugged him about ten times. 

"Are you going to watch me pitch today?" Michael asked. Yadier nodded. "I sure am."

Michael looked excited, clapping his hands together. 

When Yadier was wheeled out onto the field, the fans in the crowd stood and clapped. Yadier smiled, waving to them. He missed playing in front of these fans.

When he got back to the dugout, Yadier suddenly realized something. Where was Adam? 

His eyes scanned the dugout carefully, searching over every head. It should've been easy to spot the pitcher. After all, he was the tallest on the team.

Just when he was about to ask Mike, two arms wrapped around him from behind. "I missed you, buddy," he heard Adam say. 

Yadier smiled, and said, "I guess you won't have to hug me as hard in the handshake line anymore."

Adam laughed, pulling away and going to the front of the wheelchair so he could see into his friend's face. 

"I'm glad you're feeling better. I was scared we'd lost you."

Yadier tried his best to smile. "I'm just glad I'm back and not..."

He trailed off, shaking the memory from his head. Adam gave him a gentle smile. "Welcome back, buddy."

After the game, Yadier had already fallen asleep, unable to stop himself. Mike was about to rouse him, but Billy shook his head. "He needs his rest. If his body wanted him to fall asleep, we should let it decide what he needs."

Mike nodded, and Billy took the handles of the wheelchair. "I'll take him back to the hospital. You go talk to the boys."

It was a few weeks later when Yadier was finally able to walk on his own into the clubhouse. He was met with cheers and hugs, screams of, "YADI!"

Adam hugged him, pulling away and looking him in the eyes. "You've won one battle," he said, handing Yadier a ball cap. "I can't wait for you to get better so that you can help us win another."

Yadier smiled. Yeah, he thought, laughing as Michael Wacha tackled him, he was definitely excited to be back.


End file.
